Mon.’s Devo - Have Faith

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12
Jacob was sent to Paddan Aram to escape Esau’s wrath but mostly to find his wives and learn a lesson. Jacob was a trickster but he moved in with an even greater deceiver than himself. God knows just how to crucify our flesh. For Jacob it was Laban whom God used.
Esau learned that his Canaanite wives were not liked by his mother and father so he married one of Ishmaels’ daughters, too. I’m not sure that that was a great choice either.
Jacob stopped in Luz and slept under the stars with a rock as his pillow. He dreamed of a ladder that went up into heaven with angels going up and down. Above the ladder stood the Lord who told Jacob that he and his descendants would be like the dust extending to the north, south, east and west. They would bless all people and He would watch over them and bring them back to this land.
The next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it up as a memorial of what God had shown him. He poured oil on it and promised God that if he would provide for him and bring him back to his father’s house, then he would give God a tenth.
Jacob continued his journey till he came close to his uncle’s land. He came to a well where three groups of sheep were waiting with their shepherds. There was a stone on the well and they were waiting for the other shepherds to arrive so they could all remove the stone together and water their sheep. The shepherd they were waiting for was Rachel, Laban’s daughter. Jacob must have found out who she was because he lifted the stone, by himself, and watered all of her sheep. (Just the opposite of Rebekah who watered the servant’s camels). Then, Jacob kissed her and she took him home to meet her father, Laban.
Jacob stayed there and worked for seven years for Rachel. When he got Leah instead, he waited a week and got Rachel also. Poor Leah! It does sound unfair in our culture but in their culture a woman lived to marry and have children. If not for the fact that she was the first born and had to be married first, she might never have had that opportunity.
God blessed her and gave her three sons which she named out of her desire to be noticed and loved by her husband. The first was Rueben which means “see a son”. The next was Simeon which means “heard”. She wasn’t noticed with the first son but she realized that God heard her on the second. The third was Levi which means “joined”. She was hoping it would join her with Jacob. The fourth one was Judah which means “praise”. She had learned to praise the Lord because he was her ultimate husband who noticed, heard, connected and loved her.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captives free; to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He healed all these things but most of all he came to make people whole in their soul. A 12 year old girl had just died and her father came to Jesus to ask him to raise her from the dead - what faith! On his way to her house a woman who had been bleeding the whole life of this little girl - 12 years, touched his garment and was healed. Jesus told her that her faith had healed her.
Jesus raised the dead daughter and as He was leaving the girl’s home, two blind men called out to Jesus for mercy. He touched their eyes and told them that their faith had caused them to see again. Jesus told them not to tell anyone, but they told everyone.
Then Jesus healed the man who was demon-possessed and couldn’t talk, the Pharisees said he did it through the power of the devil.
In spite of the Pharisee’s rejection, Jesus kept healing and doing miracles because of his compassion for the people. As he looked out into the crowd of people who needed help he told his disciples that they needed to pray for more people to do what he did.
Lord, help us to walk in faith and do the works that you did so that many will be set free, healed and brought to the truth of the gospel.